


Breaking the Routine

by Melly_Oppy



Series: Breaking the Routine [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), F/M, Fluff and Angst, High School, Identity Reveal, Romance, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-28
Updated: 2017-04-06
Packaged: 2018-10-12 02:59:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10480623
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Melly_Oppy/pseuds/Melly_Oppy
Summary: Marinette, now seventeen, has become bored with her life as Ladybug. After three years of the same shtick she has lost all excitement for the job and her everyday routine feels a little too episodic. As much as she wants to try to end this cycle she can't seem to figure it out. Maybe she can get a little help from a certain Blondie?





	1. Routine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello,  
> This is the beginning of the story, so this is mostly set up but, hey, I hope you like it!
> 
> This is my first FanFic ever. Like, actually, ever. In the 20 years of my life, so be nice.  
> I also haven't written anything creative in years so really be nice.  
> Only constructive criticisms here please.  
> That being said, I hope you like the beginning of this story.  
> Right now I'm shooting for 4-6 chapters to begin with and updating at the very least once or twice a month.  
> It all depends on how invested people are in the story honestly.  
> Thank you for your time and I would love feedback!  
> \- Melly_Oppy  
> Edit: Gave the Professor a name

Marinette never thought that life could be normal again but it looked like it had finally happened. After three whole years of superheroing had come and gone, she had finally stepped into a routine. Life was boring again.

Sure, her life wasn’t like most of her peer’s. Marinette knew for a fact that not everyone started their mornings fending off an Akuma like she just had. To her knowledge, none of her peers had to worry about stopping Akumas, working with the police, and secret identities. Of course there was that one obvious exception, her player of a partner, Chat Noir.

Marinette had always assumed that Chat Noir was her age or a year or two older but she had never looked into it. From the very beginning of their superhero careers, they had made a promise to keep their identities a secret. She had never even tried looking for him as a civilian. Everytime she even started thinking of him out of the mask, she would immediately push his image out of her mind. They had been successful doing this for three years, and she was determined to keep it that way. Although, the thought of being able to enjoy each other’s company without the masks had crossed her mind a few times. It would be nice being able to spend some time with her partner without the pressure of having to save the city because some guy was throwing a fit. When all you want to do is have one peaceful moment before heading off to school.

Despite being blessed with the power of luck and creation, life had become too episodic for Marinette’s liking. Everyday, it’s the same thing; go to school, fight Akuma, help out at the bakery, do homework, go to bed. One would think that having super powers would save you from the monotony of everyday life but, it turned out, even superheroes get sucked into an endless routine.

 

Before Marinette could ponder her existential crisis any further, she found herself outside her classroom. She quickly checked her watch to see how late she was but found herself miraculously five minutes early. This stroke of luck prompted Marinette to give a little pat on her bag where Tikki hid safely. As much of a pain it was to be Ladybug, at least it had it’s lucky perks.

As soon as she stepped through the door, Marinette was greeted by the usual smile of her best friend. “Hey, girl!” Alya said with her usual brand of energy, “How are those morning runs going for you?”

“Freaking riveting,” Marinette sighed before placing her bag on the desk and taking her normal seat next to Alya.

“I still can’t believe that you go running every morning,” Alya pulled out a comb from her purse, and shoved it into Marinette’s waiting hand, “Two years ago, I never would’ve pegged you as a fitness nut. Now, everyday, you walk around in your exercise gear as if you’re waiting for a marathon to come running by.”

Marinette chuckled, as much as she complained about her boring life, at least Alya could still make her laugh, “Well, you never know. With all these Akuma attacks going on, you bet your ass I wanna be ready to book it the hell out of there!”

“True, but come on,” Alya rolled her eyes before getting into her famous mom mode, “You gotta take a break with this exercise thing you got going on.”

“Are you telling me not to be healthy?”

“Girl, you are healthy enough! Have you seen yourself?” she grabbed Marinette’s arm and pointed at her bicep, “You could kill someone with these guns! Nino has less muscles than you, and he actually tries!”

“Hey!” as if willed through the power of Alya’s words, Nino came walking into the room, Adrien in toe, “What did I do to you to deserve such slander!”

“Baby, shush,” Alya shot him the glare that usually sends chills down one’s spine, but with Nino he remained unaffected, “I’m having girl talk right now.”

“But you don't have ta bring my sensitive ego into this, do you?” Nino kissed Alya on the cheek before he took his usual seat in front of them, “What’s so bad about Mari tuning into her inner Wonder Woman, anyway? Muscles look good on her.”

“Thank you, Nino,” Marinette shot him a smile before continuing the battle with her knotted hair, “My inner Wonder Woman appreciates it.”

Alya rolled her eyes, “I’m not saying that being fit is a bad thing but come on, Mari! When was the last time you didn’t dress in exercise clothes? I’ve never seen someone so obsessed with fashion be so adamant about wearing the same thing everyday! It’s ridiculous!”

Marinette wanted so much to rebuke Alya’s statement but she did have a point. Ever since she grew out of her signature blazer and ballet shoes, Marinette had been sticking exclusively to exercise gear for her everyday attire. It wasn’t that she had lost her love for fashion, but with the amount of running she had to do everyday, even in civilian form, it was easier to put on a sports bra and sneakers instead of worrying about ruined shoes or caught shirts.

Unfortunately, Marinette can’t explain all this to her best friend so, to Alya’s frustration and Nino’s amusement, all she could say is, “I let you do you so, let me do me.”

Alya breathed out a sound of frustration, “Are you kidding me, Mari! That’s all you’re gonna say?”

Marinette, with a smile, gave her hair one last brush before giving the comb back to Alya, “That’s all I’m gonna say.”

Alya crossed her arms and sat back in her chair, pursing her lips. Marinette knew that look so she also knew what Alya’s next move was. Before Marinette could give her a warning glance, Alya was already reaching across the desk to pull on a certain blonde’s collar, “Hey Adrien.”

“Yes?” Adrien quickly turned in his seat, shocked by the sudden involvement in the conversation.

“What do you think of Mari’s new found sense of style?” Alya rested her head on her hands like a Bond villain executing their plan, “Don’t you think it’s a little... repetitive?”

Adrien looked at Marinette then at Alya, “What? You mean the exercise clothes?”

“Yes, Heidi Klum, the exercise clothes,” Alya was getting more irritated by the second but tried her best not to show it. Not that it helped.

Adrien looked Marinette up and down, his brows knit, trying to think of what to say. 

Marinette felt the blood begin to rush to her face. Even though she had gotten closer to Adrien over the last three years, she still hadn’t gotten over her crush. With Alya and Nino dating, Marinette and Adrien have bonded as third wheeling confidants. Always being the ones ditched at parties or stuck waiting for them to stop their horribly graphic public displays of affection. Marinette liked to think that they had developed a nice relationship over the years but, despite getting over her nervous stutter, it was still unnerving whenever all his attention was put on her. 

Luckily, today she was able to distract herself by styling her hair into twin braids.

Finally, he found the words, “I mean, from a fashion standpoint, there’s nothing wrong with her outfits. Her colour coordination is always good, the clothes fit well, the fabric is a very good quality, and it looks comfortable. She also doesn’t repeat the same outfit twice in one week which is also pretty good.” Adrien sighed and ran his hand through his perfectly styled hair, sending a chill down Marinette’s spine. He continued his analysis, “From a personal standpoint, as a friend, I would say that, yeah, it’s a little weird that you’re always wearing exercise clothes but then again, so does Kim and most other guys.”

“Don’t forget Alix,” Nino pointed out.

“Anyways, it’s not like you wear them at restaurants or for special occasions so you don’t have them on literally everywhere you go.” Suddenly a small mischievous smile spread across his lips. One that always forced Marinette to push the image of her crime fighting partner out of her mind. 

“I guess what I’m trying to say is,” Adrien shrugged, “you do you.”

Alya’s eye slightly twitched as Nino started snickering. He turned away from his girlfriend knowing that she was probably going to hit him for laughing.

Marinette covered her mouth and pressed her lips together in a tight line to save herself from Alya’s wrath. She looked down at Adrien, still with that stupid grin on his face, feigning ignorance as his friends were losing their composure.

Before Alya could say anything else, Madame Morel entered the room, “Sorry, people! I was stuck in the Metro from today’s Akuma attack, but don’t worry. I. Am. Fine.”

“WHAT!”

Mme Morel peered over her glasses at Alya, “Mademoiselle Cesaire, are you disappointed with the outcome of my well being?”

Alya took a deep breath before answering, “Sorry, Madame. I just didn’t know there was an Akuma attack.”

“Ah, well, I knew the scene was missing something. It’s not a real Akuma attack without our Alya running amok,” Mme Morel gave Alya a grin before turning her attention to the board, “So luckily for you all, you don’t have to miss today’s quiz and Monsieur Agreste, sit in your seat properly,” she scolded Adrien without missing a beat or turning around.

As everyone groaned, dreading the imminent doom of a quiz, Marinette decided to steal one more look at Adrien as he adjusted his seat. Before she could break her gaze, his eyes met hers. Her heart skipped a beat as he grinned up at her. Adrien quickly gave her a thumbs up and a quick wink, a gesture which Marinette quickly returned. It was like their own personal fist bump for whenever they messed with their friends and Marinette loved it.

It was the one thing in her routine she had no doubt she would never get tired of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! You made it!  
> Thank you for reading the beginning of my story!  
> Leave a comment and tell me what you think, I would love to hear from you!  
> Remember, this is my first fic, so be nice! I welcome creative criticisms and critiques, like our boy Adrien!  
> Thank you again and have a wonderful day!  
> \- Melly_Oppy


	2. She's Fine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something seems off about Marinette. Or at least that's what her friends think. To Marinette, everything is just fine everyone just needs to get off her back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello Again,  
> Thank you for continuing the story!  
> There's a lot of exposition in this chapter but I hope you still enjoy it!  
> Thank you for your time and I would love feedback!  
> \- Melly_Oppy

“Thank God for lunch break!” Alya rubbed her eyes under her thick round glasses, “I swear, if we get one more test before the end of the day, I will turn back into Lady Wifi!”

“Please don’t,” Marinette stood up from her seat and began to stretch, attempting to reverse the hours of damage sitting did to her body. “Two heart attacks is enough for me, thank you. Also, it would be really hard to win an argument with you if you keep putting us on pause.”

“She doesn’t need to be Lady Wifi to do that,” Nino mumbled.

Alya snatched his red beanie from his head, taking it hostage, “I’m sorry, Baby, what did you say? I didn’t quite hear you.”

“You’re the love of my life and I would be lost without you?” Nino replied with a guilty smile.

Alya walked around her desk and placed the beanie in his hand, “I thought so.” She then proceeded to kiss Nino with the amount of passion that was quite inappropriate for school.

Adrien made a gagging sound, “Get a room, you too! No one wants to see you guys suck face.”

“Can it, Heidi, and lose the attitude! What are you, twelve?” Alya snapped, “When did you get to be such an ass, anyway?”

“The moment you guys started assaulting my eyes with your snogging,” he shot back.

Marinette tried to suppress a laugh as Alya scoffed.

Nino grabbed Alya’s hand, leading her into an embrace, “Don’t get too upset, Babe. He’s just jealous of what we have. It’s not like he has anyone to ‘snog.’” 

Adrien’s same mischievous grin spread across his face, “Just because someone is cute enough to kiss doesn’t mean they’re sane enough to date.”

Marinette couldn’t help but let out a little snort at Adrien’s sass.

Alya put her hands on her hip, “And who exactly are you referring to, Monsieur Agreste?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” Adrien flung his bag over his shoulder and motioned for Alya to lead the way out of the classroom. 

“So, no one,” Alya stuck her tongue out as she and Nino passed, Adrien mimicked her expression. As soon as they were both out of eyeshot, Adrien gave Marinette their “mission accomplished” gesture, a thumbs up followed by a wink. Marinette giggled and quickly returned it before catching up to Alya.

“Seriously, did that boy just wake up one day and be like,” Alya struck one of Adrien’s model poses and spoke in a mocking tone, “Huh, I’m done with being handsome and charming. Now I think I’m gonna be an ass everyday, for the rest of my life. Chicks dig that, right?”

“Aw,” Adrien popped up next to Nino, “you think I’m charming?”

Alya gave Nino a look, one that said,  _ “If you don’t get your best friend away from me now, I will strangle him with his own button down.” _

Nino quickly understood and, without a word, took his friend by the shoulders and lead him toward his locker.

The moment the boys walked away, Alya hissed at Marinette, “I totally don’t get why you like that boy! He can be such an ass!”

Marinette snickered, “Oh, come on, Alya. You know he’s just messing around. He’s doing it out of love.”

Alya groaned, “I know, but can’t he show it some other way?” Alya led them to her locker and started unpacking her bag, getting ready for the next round of classes, “I mean, seriously, where did that attitude come from? I remember when he was nothing but charming and polite.”

Adrien was still the kind and understanding boy Marinette fell in love with but he did develope a bit of a playful personality. She assumed his relationship with Nino was what loosen him up over the years.  Alya told Marinette all she had heard from Nino. Like how Adrien’s father was very strict with him even before he entered Dupont. Marinette had always assumed that Gabriel Agreste was a strict man based off of interviews he had in fashion magazines but she didn’t realize how far it actually went when it came to his parenting. Alya told her it was to the point where Adrien was rarely allowed to leave the house, not even for his fencing and piano lessons. There were also times when his father insisted his photoshoots where to take place in their home, having an entire section of the mansion set-up for those occasions. 

Even though Adrien had become a bit of a smartass, sometimes making way too many jokes and puns, Marinette had grown to like his new happy and relaxed attitude.

“I don’t know,” Marinette shrugged as she opened her own locker, tossing her books inside, “Maybe he’s always been like this but he was too shy to show it till now?”

“I guess that’s true, I mean, with a dad that uptight, even I would be a little closed off.” Alya looked at herself in her locker mirror, fixing a  reddish-brown wave that had escaped from her ponytail,  “It’s good that he’s finally comfortable around us. Even if he can be a pain. Anyway, since we’re all getting nice and close to one another, it makes me wonder...”” Alya closed her locker, her all knowing smirk spread across her face.

“Alya,” Marinette warned, knowing exactly what was going to come out of her friend’s mouth.

“Why aren’t you making any moves on him!”

Marinette slammed her locker and whined, “Alya!”

“No.” Alya said firmly, “Shut up, I’m gonna say my thing and you can’t stop me till I’m done, okay?”

Marinette let out a whimper and nodded, leaning on her locker door. This was the last thing she wanted to hear but she knew, if she didn’t let Alya vent, she would just get a bombardment of texts later. 

“I just don’t understand why!” Ayla started talking with her hands frantically waving as she spoke, “I mean, us four have been hanging out for the last two years and you haven’t once made a move! Yes, I get it, you get nervous about these things but you should be use to being near him by now! And don’t think I don’t see that cutesy little wink thing you guys do behind our backs. You guys aren’t as sly as you think.”

Marinette tried to interject but before she could get a word out, Alya held up her finger to silence her, “I’m not finished. You’re going to try to tell me,” Alya changed into a mocking tone, “ _ ‘I’m over him. Remember, I dated Nathaniel?’ _ Bullshit! I remember you feeling guilty dating the guy when you still had feelings for Adrien. I remember that break up.”

“I didn’t have feeling for Adrien-”

“Girl, did I say I was finished!” Alya snapped.

Marinette shut her mouth tight. She felt a wave of frustration come over her.

Immediately, Alya knew she crossed a line and took a deep breathe, “Sorry, that was too harsh.” Alya leaned on the locker next to Marinette, “But, Hon, I’m just frustrated that you aren’t doing anything. You know I can tell what you’re thinking and I can see you still like him, I just don’t understand why you won’t even  _ try _ . Is it because Nino said he already liked someone else? Cause that was a  _ long _ time ago, I doubt that matters now. Even if it did, there’s no harm trying.”

“Alya,” Marinette paused, trying to put as much weight on her words as possible, “I’m fine with how things are right now. Just drop it.”

Despite what her best friend thought, there was a time where she was able to get over Adrien and it was when she dated Nathaniel. When they were together, she felt like they were the perfect match. They were like the power couple of artists, alway pushing one another to do better and being each other’s inspiration. They were perfectly content spending hours together sitting in silence drawing or reading but their conversations could last hours. He kept her calm while she gave him a little more confidence in himself and his work. But she hated lying to him. Everytime she had to become Ladybug, she had to make up all kinds of excuses about where she was or why she couldn’t answer his calls or texts. There were times where she would ditch him during their dates and she could tell it broke his heart. The night she realized she had to end their relationship was the night of their six month anniversary. She was running an hour late due to an Akuma attack. As she rounded a corner, a block away from their meeting place, Nathaniel’s silhouette came into view along with the faint glow of an Akuma fluttering just meters above him. Their relationship had become toxic and it was all her fault. That night, they had a long conversation and they were somehow able to part as friends.

From that moment, Marinette realized, as long as she was Ladybug, she could never have an honest, trusting relationship with anyone. That was why Adrien couldn’t be anything more than a pipe dream, she would rather be alone than lie to the person she loved.

Alya studied Marinette’s face as if trying to find an answer to a riddle. Finally, she sighed, “Okay, have it your way. I won’t bring it up again.”

“We both know that’s a lie,” Marinette said bitterly.

“I’ll stop when you give me a good reason too,” Alya  gave Marinette a playful poke on the nose, “So, changing subjects, are you  _ finally _ gonna join us for lunch today? Adrien said he’s gonna take us to this sushi place,” Alya tried to urge Marinette in the most sing songy voice she could muster up, “Come on, it’s all you can eat and they gifted him with free meal for up to four people so it’s not like we have to feel guilty about the price.”

Marinette waved Alya’s hand away and fastened her running backpack onto her shoulders, “No, I’m gonna have to pass again.”

“Seriously?” Alya huffed.

“Yeah, sorry, I still have to write that report for World History.”

“But that’s not due for another week!” Alya stepped in front of Marinette, blocking her path to the exit, “Please, Mari, we haven’t chilled outside of school for God knows how long and it’s free  _ food _ ! At a fancy restaurant!”

Marinette quickly sidestepped Alya, dodging her second blocking attempt, “Sorry, Alya. Next time!”

“It’s always next time with you!”

As she started her jog back home, she could here Nino ask Alya if Marinette was going to join them. Marinette did feel guilty about always ditching her friends for such half assed reasons but she was Ladybug and she couldn’t let herself get distracted. If she went to the restaurant, she wouldn’t be able to keep an eye on the news for Akuma attacks. Even with Alya’s Akuma alerts, she would still have to think of some sort of excuse to get away from her friends to transform, which would be a waste of precious time.

“You know, it’s rare for there to be two attacks in one day and it’s not a bad thing to unwind once in awhile,” a little voice sang in Marinette’s ear.

Before answering, Marinette quickly put on her bluetooth earbuds to avoid looking like she was talking to herself, “I don’t want to be missing if it  _ does _ happen though. And I really do have to work on that report!”

“Mmhmm,” Tikki did not sound the least bit convinced, “you know that’s not a good enough reason.”

“Whatever, it’s not a big deal. I’ll just catch up with them later.”

“When will that be?,” Tikki shifted a little closer to Marinette’s ear still staying hidden behind one of her braids, “Marinette, you haven’t hung out with any of your friends for months!”

“I went to Rose’s birthday two weekends ago,” she corrected.

“After Alya dragged you out.  _ And _ you left as soon as they blew out the candles!”

“There was an Akuma!”

“You could have gone back.”

“Look,” Marinette quickly ran into to the closest alleyway, making sure the coast was clear before motioning Tikki to come out. “I don’t need you telling me how to live my life. I’ve been Ladybug for three years, I know how things work now. I have everything under control.”

Tikki crossed her little arms, narrowing her big dark blue eyes, “And I have over five thousand years of experience more than you. So listen to me when I’m telling you, you need to relax. You don’t have to be Ladybug all the time.”

“Uh, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, Tikki, but that kinda comes with the job.”

“The job is what you make it. I have seen many strong people take on the role of Ladybug, and all of them balanced it to fit their lives. Not the other way around”

“Yeah, and that’s what I’m doing.”

“Not very well.”

“Well, I’m doing the best I can!”

“It doesn't look like that to me. Maybe if you talk to Master Fu-”

“I’m fine! Why can't you just let me deal with this by myself?”

“Because I can tell you aren't happy.”

“Argh! Why is everyone arguing with me today!” Marinette kicked an empty trash can, sending it flying into the wall. The crash echoed throughout the alleyway, accompanied by Marinette’s weighted breathing as she tried to calm down. She looked to the entrance to see if anyone noticed her outburst. If they did, they withdrew before she could notice.

“We argue because we care, Marinette. We want you to be happy,” Tikki put her paw on Marinette’s cheek. Her tone was more insistent than comforting. “We say these things because we’ve noticed something is off. We just want to make sure you're aware of it.”

“There's nothing ‘off,’” Marinette spoke slowly resisting the urge to swat Tikki away, “Everything is fine.”

“That isn’t what I see,” Tikki began to float back to the safety of the backpack. She stopped before leaving Marinette’s peripheral vision, “I’m not sorry we got into this argument but I am sorry you feel that way.” With that Tikki went back into the safety of the backpack.

Marinette took a few more deep breathes, trying to gain her composure. She glanced at her phone and realized she had an hour left of break. The stress and frustration inside her made it impossible for her to concentrate on her paper so she chose to use the rest of her time jogging away her frustration while keeping an ear out for Akuma attacks.

 

Despite being only a few minutes early for Latin class, Marinette was the first of her friends to arrive. As she waited, she debated writing an apology note to Tikki, who quietly sat inside her backpack. Tikki hadn’t said a word since their argument. When they were back home. she didn't even ask Marinette to open the cookie jar for her.

Just as Marinette made her decision, Alya and Nino walked into the room. Alya stopped in her tracks and looked Marinette up and down, assessing her outfit.

Marinette knew what she was thinking from her scowl,  _ “Really, you took a shower only to change into a track suit?” _

Marinette replied with a gesture that roughly translated to,  _ “Bite me.” _

“How was lunch?” Nino placed his hands on her desk, drawing her attention away from his fiery girlfriend.

“Good,” she shrugged, “got a little side-tracked though so I ended up just going for a jog. Didn't get any work done. How was the sushi?”

“Dude, it was amazing, too bad you missed it,” Nino punched Marinette in the arm as punishment however it seemed to cause him more pain than her. He tried to shake-off the shock as smoothly as he could, “Anyway, you should’ve came. It was a classy place and the people were really nice. Adrien is a regular so they treated us like kings.”

“Speaking of Adrien,” Marinette pointed at Adrien’s vacant seat, “Where is he?”

Alya dropped herself into her chair, “He stayed behind. He wanted to thank the chef or something. Did you eat anything at home?” 

“Yeah, Papa made pain au chocolat so I had one of those.”

Alya’s brow knit and she glanced quickly at Nino then back at her, “You went jogging twice today and all you've eaten since breakfast* is a pain au chocolat?”

Marinette shrugged, “It’s fine. I’m not really that hungry.”

Nino shook his head, “Dude, you’re not eating enough protein for that to be healthy.”

“What? I’ll just have a big dinner if I need it, I really don’t feel hungry.”

At that moment, Monsieur Leblanc walked through the door, slamming it behind him, “Okay! I know that you all have had a  _ lot _ of tests today and I am sad to be the one to tell you,” M. Leblanc reached into his bag and pulled out freshly printed paper, “you’ll be having another one, right now.” Everyone shifted in their seats in irritation as he passed out the tests but no one said a word. M. Leblanc wore an almost giddy smile as he flipped through the tests, handing them down the rows. “Remember, keep the papers facing down until I say so.”

M. Leblanc was not only the youngest instructor in the school but he was also the most strict. He was a very lean, tall man, towering over many of his students. Because of his overpowering friendliness it was hard for his students to maneuver through his personality. At one moment, he would be cracking jokes with them and another he would scold them about quality of their work. The one thing every student knew not to do was complain. If they did, he would give them the longest most guilt ridden speech imaginable about the human condition to persevere.

Finally M. Leblanc came to Marinette’s row and stopped in front of Adrien’s seat. His expression turned to stone, “Does anyone know where Adrien is?” He didn’t even bother to look at the other students, his eyes went immediately to Nino for the answer. 

Nino gave an apologetic shrug as if he was the one guilty for being late, “He said he would be here on time.”

“Mmhmm,” M. Leblanc’s eyes narrowed as he handed Nino the rest of the papers to pass along. He looked again at Adrien’s seat and, for a split second, Marinette could have sworn that he looked at her before turning back to his desk. “Well, he better have a good reason for being late. I don’t want to fail our  _ model  _ student just for missing a test.” this had been his go to pun for Adrien since the beginning of the year and it wore its welcome very early on but no one had the heart not to laugh. Everyone except Marinette who had developed a habit to roll her eyes whenever she heard a pun due to the persistence of her partner.

M. Leblanc unearthed an egg timer from his bag and set it for an hour, “Okay, class, you may start right-”

Adrien suddenly burst through the door, his hair slightly disheveled, “Present! Here! I-I’m here!” Everyone stared down at Adrien as he quickly turned red from embarrassment.. “I-I mean, sorry I’m late,” Adrien straightened his hair as he made his way to his seat.

“Well, Monsieur Agreste,” M. Leblanc grabbed a blank test and sauntered over to Adrien’s desk, “I would like to hear your excuse for keeping us waiting. It better be a good one.”

“Not really,” Adrien slouched in his seat, looking nervous, “It’s kinda personal.”

M. Leblanc raised a brow, “What, no Akuma?”

Adrien cleared his throat before answering, “Yeah well, I guess I was lucky today.”

M. Leblanc paused, staring down at Adrien with a disappointed glare, “At least you’re honest. See me after class.” He slid the test in front of Adrien facing down and turned his attention toward the class, “Remember, everyone, there are only three excuses I’ll take for you being late to my class. One, you have gotten stuck in an Akuma attack. Two, you have become said Akuma. And Three, you’re actually Ladybug or Chat Noir and you had to go stop an Akuma. That being said, if I am blessed with either superhero as my student, I would like to have your autographs slipped under my door by the end of the day. I don’t need to know who you are, I’m just a huge fan.” the whole class chuckled prompting a smirk to form across M. Leblanc’s face. A smirk similar to one Marinette saw frequently on another person she knew. Again, she had to push her partner’s image out of her mind.

As M. Leblanc was distracted patting himself on the back, Nino leaned over to Adrien speaking just loud enough for Marinette to hear, “Nice entrance there, Dude.”

“Thanks,” Adrien said sarcastically.

“What? It’s not like it’s your first time being late to class, you didn’t have to be such a spaz.”

Adrien grumbled, “I don’t like being late if I can help it.”

“Okay, class!” M. Leblanc clapped his hands together, gathering everyone’s attention again, “Let’s get this test started! Pencils out, eyes on your own paper and you may start”

Marinette sighed before flipping her paper over and beginning another long hour of sitting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note  
> A typical breakfast in France consist of jams, bread, and pastries. Breakfast there isn’t seen as a big deal when compared to Americans. Lunch and Dinner are usually treated as the more important meals where you can sit and take your time eating with friends and family. This is pretty common in a lot of European countries. Basically, Mari has only eaten 2-3 pastries for the whole day.
> 
> Yay! You’re still reading!  
> Thank you for reading my story!  
> Sorry that we’re still in school but I promise we’ll have some Adrienette in the next chapter!  
> Leave a comment and tell me what you think, I would love to hear from you!  
> Remember, this is my first fic, so be nice! I welcome creative criticisms and critiques!  
> Thank you again and have a wonderful day!  
> \- Melly_Oppy


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